Wynn Resorts Gets Go-Ahead from Gaming Commission

Wynn Resorts cleared another hurdle Monday in its bid for the sole eastern Massachusetts casino license.

Massachusetts Gaming commission staff is recommending that Las Vegas Mogul Steve Wynn be allowed to proceed with his application to build a casino in Everett. But there’s one condition: that Wynn explain his business practices in Macau.

Macau is evolving from the seedy cousin of Hong Kong to the glittering Las Vegas of the East. Its gambling revenue is 6 times that of the Vegas strip.

Wynn defended his company in a colorful testimony:

“Do we allow illegal activity in our casinos? The answer is no. No. “

Gaming commissioners won’t take a final vote on Wynn’s background check until next week. If they give him the green light, the decision could fuel skepticism about the commission’s objectivity. Steve Crosby, the chair of the commission’s former business partner co-owns the Wynn casino site. Crosby says the public should not doubt him.

“The process is so incredibly transparent, there are 5 commissioners sitting there, there’s a report that costs a million and a half dollars that is now public that details all the background information,” says Crosby.

The Wynn casino would compete with one from Suffolk Downs if Revere voters approve that project in February.